Live the Bhāgavatam · SB 4.7.41
Āśraya· The supreme shelterSacrifice Means Pleasing the Supreme Lord
“The fire-god said: My dear Lord, I offer my respectful obeisances unto You because by Your favor I am as luminous as blazing fire and I accept the offerings mixed with butter and offered in sacrifice. The five kinds of offerings according to the Yajur Veda are all Your different energies, and You are worshiped by five kinds of Vedic hymns. Sacrifice means You, the Supreme Personality of Godhead.”
What the purport teaches
- Yajña is a name of Lord Viṣṇu, and sacrifice is meant for His satisfaction. Actions performed for other purposes become causes of bondage.
- The whole target of life is to please Lord Viṣṇu. A person in Kṛṣṇa consciousness dedicates life to satisfying Kṛṣṇa, the origin of all Viṣṇu forms.
- In this Age of Kali, the successful sacrifice is saṅkīrtana, chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa. Lord Caitanya has appeared to accept this sacrifice.
Try this today
Chant attentively: Hare Kṛṣṇa, Hare Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa, Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma, Hare Rāma, Rāma Rāma, Hare Hare.
Ask yourself
What could I do today for Kṛṣṇa’s satisfaction rather than only my own?
Carry the question through the day, then answer it in your own words before sleep.
The study points, practice and question are short summaries drawn from Śrīla Prabhupāda's translation and purport. Read the full purport to go deeper.